1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to network gaming and more particularly to systems and methods for validating game users and devices in a networked community of game players.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, users of electronic games compete with one another by selecting a two-player option associated with a particular electronic game via a single home gaming console. Accordingly, two players can play at the same time or one-at-a-time in order to compete for points or other awards associated with the particular electronic game.
As electronic game consoles have become more popular and network technologies have become more pervasive, more options for head-to-head competition have become available. Some electronic game consoles are equipped with modems or other network connectors for allowing users to communicate over a network through the exchange of data related to the game. By communicating over a network, users can connect to various other users' gaming consoles either directly or via intermediate computing nodes (e.g., a central server or other game consoles in a network) and compete against those various other users while playing a network game.
Disadvantageously, some users manipulate the network game in order to gain unfair advantages while competing with other users playing the same network game. For example, a user may slow or delay the rate at which the user's data is sent to other users so that the various other users do not receive the user's data in time to react appropriately.
Unscrupulous users may employ an external hardware device that manipulates the generation of or access to certain game data whereby a game character may be endowed with special powers, abilities or attributes (e.g., lives, ammunition, and weapons) not genuinely earned during game play. Similarly, a game character may become impervious (e.g., invisible) to attacks by other game players.
Certain software methodologies exist (either alone or in conjunction with the aforementioned hardware devices) wherein code is temporarily or permanently installed and/or modified in a gaming device allowing for similar advantages. Various other means and methods are known and employed by users in order to cheat or gain an unfair advantage during the course of networked ‘community’ game-play.
Cheating decreases user enjoyment of participating in a networked community game environment. For example, a particular user playing a network game without any illicit outside aides (e.g., cheat codes, hacks, and so forth) is at a distinct disadvantage versus a user who is making use of such illicit aides. The user who is not cheating may be overpowered, outgunned, or otherwise inferior in some respect to a user who is cheating regardless of the individual skills of those users. If the user who does not cheat is continually defeated by a user who does cheat—and often in quick and decisive fashion-the non-cheating user may lose interest in a particular game, a particular game network, or a particular product or service provider.
This loss of interest adversely affects game developers and network service providers who will sell less game titles or find fewer users utilizing their network game services, respectively. As such, there is an inherent interest for game developers, service providers, and honest game users to identify and eliminate cheating in a network or community game environment.